The present invention relates generally to the field of power generation optimization and management. Specifically, the present invention is directed to a control system for operating a cluster of fuel cell systems.
The following description of the background of the invention is provided simply as an aid in understanding the invention and is not admitted to describe or constitute prior art to the invention.
Industrial power generation systems may be provided to a customer in a modular cluster of fuel cell systems. At any given time, the operating characteristics of a single fuel cell module can be different from the operating characteristics of other fuel cell modules in the fuel cell cluster. Given the large amount of data generated by an operating cluster of fuel cell systems, and the complex interactions between independent variables, human operators cannot be expected to adjust control system set points to maintain a technical or economic optimum set of set points for the entire cluster.
Accordingly, there is a need to obtain real-time operational data from fuel cell clusters and use that data to optimize the economic and operational characteristics of a fuel cell cluster and power generation system.